Help Us Rebuild Our Family Restaurant
Donation protected
On Lunar New Year, our family-owned restaurant, East Moon Asian Bistro, was vandalized and looted in a potential hate crime.
This attack was part of a larger string of attacks on asian-owned businesses in our area on the night of Lunar New Year, which is traditionally regarded as a day of joy and good fortune for the asian community. Three other asian establishments were vandalized the same night.
In the aftermath, our windows were shattered and the restaurant was ransacked and left in disarray. The burglars stole cash as well as our safe, causing thousands of dollars in damage while doing so.
This restaurant is an important, primary source of income for our family. It had already been severely impacted as COVID swept through the nation, and with one child already in college and the other attending college this fall, this is a severe blow to our finances.
We are hoping to raise money in order to rebuild and recuperate the damages incurred during the break-in. Our costs include the loss in income while repairs are commenced, as well as keeping employees salaried until reopening. Like my parents, our employees are primarily Chinese immigrants that we treat as family; my dad insisted we keep them on payroll and ensured that they would be taken care of through this ordeal.
Any additional funds unused funds will be donated to AAPI organizations to #stopasianhate.
My dad was initially hesitant to crowdfund, and insisted we didn't ask for donations. He was unsure others would come to help, but after seeing the recent outpouring of support for the asian community, I convinced him to give me a shot. I hope to prove to him that others do care for the asian community, and that we will come back from this stronger than ever.
I will include photos of the damage and keep this post updated below. Additionally, I will link news articles regarding the break-ins below if you would like to learn more. Please consider supporting your locally owned asian businesses!
https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/02/16/four-asian-owned-maryland-restaurants-burglarized-lunar-new-year/
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/cng-ho-six-burglaries-20210212-67lcsggxxbdrtawzq7dixw72wy-story.html
https://scotteblog.com/2021/02/13/six-restaurants-in-columbia-and-ellicott-city-burglarized-on-february-11th-and-12th/
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2021/02/12/howard-county-police-investigating-series-of-burglaries-at-columbia-ellicott-city-restaurants/
To wrap it up, as our county executive said regarding the incident; "Today our community is saddened by a string of burglaries that occurred in the last 24 hours. Our restaurant community is going through one of the toughest years that has ever existed for their industry and these crimes are adding unnecessary economic and mental stress... Furthermore, many of these restaurants are owned and operated by members of our Asian business community and feature Asian cuisine. To have these crimes occur during the beginning of Lunar New Year – a time of great celebration and joy – is additionally sad and distressing."
This attack was part of a larger string of attacks on asian-owned businesses in our area on the night of Lunar New Year, which is traditionally regarded as a day of joy and good fortune for the asian community. Three other asian establishments were vandalized the same night.
In the aftermath, our windows were shattered and the restaurant was ransacked and left in disarray. The burglars stole cash as well as our safe, causing thousands of dollars in damage while doing so.
This restaurant is an important, primary source of income for our family. It had already been severely impacted as COVID swept through the nation, and with one child already in college and the other attending college this fall, this is a severe blow to our finances.
We are hoping to raise money in order to rebuild and recuperate the damages incurred during the break-in. Our costs include the loss in income while repairs are commenced, as well as keeping employees salaried until reopening. Like my parents, our employees are primarily Chinese immigrants that we treat as family; my dad insisted we keep them on payroll and ensured that they would be taken care of through this ordeal.
Any additional funds unused funds will be donated to AAPI organizations to #stopasianhate.
My dad was initially hesitant to crowdfund, and insisted we didn't ask for donations. He was unsure others would come to help, but after seeing the recent outpouring of support for the asian community, I convinced him to give me a shot. I hope to prove to him that others do care for the asian community, and that we will come back from this stronger than ever.
I will include photos of the damage and keep this post updated below. Additionally, I will link news articles regarding the break-ins below if you would like to learn more. Please consider supporting your locally owned asian businesses!
https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/02/16/four-asian-owned-maryland-restaurants-burglarized-lunar-new-year/
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/cng-ho-six-burglaries-20210212-67lcsggxxbdrtawzq7dixw72wy-story.html
https://scotteblog.com/2021/02/13/six-restaurants-in-columbia-and-ellicott-city-burglarized-on-february-11th-and-12th/
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2021/02/12/howard-county-police-investigating-series-of-burglaries-at-columbia-ellicott-city-restaurants/
To wrap it up, as our county executive said regarding the incident; "Today our community is saddened by a string of burglaries that occurred in the last 24 hours. Our restaurant community is going through one of the toughest years that has ever existed for their industry and these crimes are adding unnecessary economic and mental stress... Furthermore, many of these restaurants are owned and operated by members of our Asian business community and feature Asian cuisine. To have these crimes occur during the beginning of Lunar New Year – a time of great celebration and joy – is additionally sad and distressing."
Organizer
Evan Chan
Organizer
Ellicott City, MD
